The Ruby of Desire
by weevilone88
Summary: When Harry mysteriously disappears, it's up to Ron and Hermione to battle the dark lord and his latest weapon. Please R & R guys!
1. An Interesting Letter

Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling... unfortunately  
  
Chapter One:An Interesting Letter  
  
Harry sat by his window, looking out onto Privet Drive. The Dursleys had forbidden him to visit Ron at the Burrow this year, and not even the threat of Sirius could convince them to change their minds. It was now obvious to Harry that the Dursleys would do anything they could to make him unhappy - it was a creed they lived by.   
  
Having finished all his summer homework and having written endless letters to his friends, Harry was at a loss as to what he might do. He had one more month before the new year at Hogwarts and he was resolved not to spend every minute of it looking out his window. Just then, something on the horizon caught his attention. It was too big to be an owl but it was definitely headed straight towards his window.   
  
Harry opened his window wide as the strange animal came closer. Gradually, he was able to see its detailed features: a long, sharp beak, bright blue feathers, and a tall red crest. "Wait," thought Harry, "this must be a letter from Sirius!" Only Sirius would be anywhere so exotic as to have such an animal deliver Harry an owl. And indeed, once the strange bird landed on the windowsill, Harry could see that it held in its beak a letter on which was scrawled Harry in Sirius' distinctive lettering.   
  
Harry closed the window quickly so the bird wouldn't leave. Hedwig hadn't yet been able to find where Sirius was staying and to deliver any of Harry's letters. This bird, however, had been sent by Sirius and therefore could return with the great wad of letters to Sirius that had been slowly accumulating on Harry's desk.   
  
Harry opened the letter, letting out a jet of steam. He was taken aback and started violently coughing as the smoke entered his lungs. Regaining his balance, however, Harry began to read:  
  
Dear Harry,  
I am very sorry that I haven't been able to write sooner and unfortunately this letter will have to be short. I have been on the run these past few months after being tracked down in Madagascar. These new chasers seem to be much more diligent than the past ones and are constantly right on my tail, literally. I have cunningly escaped them many times but they always seem to find me again.   
I really can't write much more, I've gotten a bit of a lead on them the past few days and decided to use my dearly-bought time writing to you and explaining my situation. Please don't be afraid because I'm perfectly fine and I shall try to visit you sometime this year at Hogwarts.   
I also wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday although I haven't been in one place long enough to get you a birthday present . But I will bring one to you later in the year. I will manage to stuff in some Umolgi Powder in with this letter. Go and talk to the Dursley's, you'll see what it does.  
Your Godfather,  
Sirius  
  
Without wasting any more time, Harry dug out some ink, parchment, and a quill from his trunk and sat down to write a final letter to Sirius wishing him good luck and pleading for him not to compromise his safety again writing him letters or buying presents. Now that he knew Sirius was all right, that was all Harry needed.   
  
Harry bundled all the letters together with string and bound the package to one of the bird's legs. He then opened the window and sent the messenger on its way. Once he could see the bird no more, Harry opened his door to go downstairs. He wanted to see just what this Umolgi Powder did. 


	2. The Rescue

Thank you for the encouragement (to the ONE person that reviewd) I'll definitely keep updating as long as there's interest so PLEASE review and tell me what you think!  
  
Chapter Two: The Rescue  
  
Proceeding downstairs, Harry could hear his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon in the sitting room talking about the latest advances Vernon was hoping to make in his career. Dudley was in the kitchen, watching television, and munching loudly on biscuits. Harry cautiously crept into the kitchen behind Dudley, waiting in anticipation for the powder to work its magic. But nothing happened.  
  
Next, Harry tried going into the sitting room, thinking that maybe the powder only had an effect on grownups. His uncle and aunt didn't notice him standing in the doorway, they rarely did; notice him that is. Feeling frustrated with himself, Harry sat down on the stairs. Sirius had gone to all that trouble to give him a little treat and all Harry could do was mess it up.   
  
Just then, Dudley was passing by to get his gameboy. But he stopped when he saw Harry sitting on the stairs. His eyes widened and a look of terror flooded his face. His mouth opened wide as if to scream but, as it did, Dudley suddenly got very stiff and stopped moving. Harry looked at him quizzically.  
  
"What's the matter with you?" he asked the motionless Dudley but there was no answer.  
"C'mon Dudley, knock it off, I'm not in the mood to be punished right now," but still nothing.  
"All right, so you can't hear me, huh lardass?" demanded Harry getting annoyed, "What's that pieface? Your toe itches but you can't see over your stomach to find where to scratch it?"   
  
Dudley didn't move and Harry started to get scared. He waved his hand in front of Dudley's frozen expression. Nothing. Harry inched his way around Dudley (not an easy feat considering Dudley's size and the narowness of the stairs) and went into the sitting room again, hoping to look as if he had taken no part in the recent state of Dudley.  
  
Once in the sitting room, Harry grabbed a random book and sat down nonchalantly in a chair. Both his aunt and uncle turned to look at him.   
  
"And just what do you think you're doing down here?" his uncle demanded but Harry gave no response, "Boy, I am in no mood for games. When I ask you a question, you better bloody well answer it!"  
  
Harry gave up and put down the book. The effect was instantaneous. Both his aunt and uncle froze and the color started to drain from their faces. Harry stood up abruptly, shocked. It must have been the Umolgi powder! It couldn't be just a coincidence that his aunt, uncle, and cousin all had the same reaction when they made eye contact with him.   
  
Harry didn't know how long the spell would last so he quickly raced up to his room and started throwing his things into a trunk. Barely pausing, he dragged his now full trunk to the top of the stairs and pushed it down them, bowling Dudley over. Harry winced but could see that Dudley was slowly regaining movement. He didn't have much time. Grabbing Hedwig, Harry dashed out of the front door, lugging his trunk behind him.   
  
Slamming the door behind him, Harry made his way to the end of the block and around the corner, huffing and puffing from the weight of his belongings. He took a deep breath and thought Now how am I going to get to the Burrow? The answer came to him almost instantaneously: the Knight Bus. Harry, remembering the signal, hailed it down and, almost instantly, the Knight Bus was at his feet. 


End file.
